Lawyer Abducted Over Land, Jumps Out Of Moving Vehicle

CHUKA UBAH

An Anambra based legal practitioner, Barrister Obiora Nweze, was on Saturday March 23, 2019, allegedly abducted at gunpoint at Umuoji in Idemili North Local Government area of Anambra State over a land matter.

P.M.EXPRESS gathered that the legal practitioner, who was the former chairman of Ireh Village, Umuoji, was invited by the current Chairman of Ireh Community, Mr. Chimee Ojiyi and his executive, for proper identification of the boundary of parcels of land between the concerned parties from Umuoji and Nkpor which were concluded while he was the chairman. While on the said parcels of land, unknown to the lawyer, one man, identified as Mr. Leonard Aghanu and some boys had allegedly wanted to use the opportunity to abduct and eliminate him, as other matters not relating to what he had come to settle with the Ireh Village executives were brought up.

After he had innocently shown the demarcation on the parcels of land in question to the people involved, he told them he was going back to his base in Onitsha. But on his way out of the bush, Mr. Leonard Aghanu told Barrister Nweze they needed to have a discussion and he can as well drop them off along the road since he was passing through their direction and he obliged him. Mr. Leonard reportedly entered with another man who came with him to the site while others left. But before they could move close to the point where he had claimed to have wanted to drop, he ordered the lawyer at gunpoint to surrender his phones, wallet containing huge amount of money and his ATM cards after obtaining the pin numbers.

Barrister Nweze was reportedly driven at gunpoint to the nearest Fidelity Bank for his abductors to make withdrawals with the ATM cards. While one of them got down from the car, he dropped the gun and asked his accomplice to take charge. At that point, the lawyer was left in the car with one person and they made a turn to wait for the one that had gone to made withdrawals. As they tried to turn to the other direction, the lawyer then made attempt to escape for his dear life when they got close to where people were many by jumping out of the moving car around Tarzan area in Nkpor. The action of the lawyer was said to have jolted his abductor and he sped off with the car to avoid being lynched by the people.

The Ireh Village executive tried later to reach Barrister Nweze when they convened a meeting after leaving the site but calls to his phone lines were not picked. After several calls by different people were not picked, they suspected foul play. While still at the meeting, Barrister Nweze’s twin brother then called the Ireh Village executives alleging that they set up his brother having received a call from his hideout. The executives then reported the incident to the police at Ogidi Division.

When the news spread around, the lawyer’s family, friends and associates tried to reach him on phone to no avail. There was respite much later when they were told that the lawyer had reached out to his twin brother from his hideout. A family source told P.M.EXPRESS that the lawyer told them that he was hale and hearty and will surface once the police commenced investigation into the incident and need his attention.

P.M.EXPRESS scooped from the family source that the lawyer briefly narrated his horrible experience in the hands of his abductors. He said that Barrister Nweze was told by his abductors that he will be in their den for two days; they will kill him and pass the information of his death to his elder brother in Lagos as soon as they had done so. It was gathered that the abduction may also be connected with the fact that they believed that the lawyer will be in possession of huge amount of money as there had been allegation that he may have sold parcels of land while he was the chairman of the community.

It was gathered that there is a new twist to the ugly incident. His car was later found around Iro Ekwulu Village. Barrister Obiora’s abductors were said to have dropped his car keys with one Mr. Chimezie Chikwendu while escaping. The police operatives at Ogidi Division were said to be making efforts to apprehend all the people fingered in the alleged abduction, dispossessing the lawyer of his car and belongings, attempted murder and eventual recovery of the car.

As at the time of filing this report, the recovered car has been moved to Ogidi Police Division and the PPRO Anambra State, SP Haruna Mohammed, could not be reached by P.M.EXPRESS reporter for comments on the matter.